Bed Bugs

Bed Bugs

"After being all but wiped out by banned pesticide DDT years ago, the little brown bugs (4-5 mm long 3 mm wide) are reportedly increasing in numbers"
"A bedbug infestation almost ruined Brisbane resident Cori's life after her flatmate brought them home from a three-star hotel in Cairns." ABC Australia Facing Bed Bug Invasion

With Gold Coast being a tourist destination Bed Bugs are a real issue. Bed bugs, are parasites of mammals, feeding on their blood.

Bed bugs although unable to fly are fast movers and are quick to escape once they are exposed to light.

Adult bed bugs have a flat oval-shaped body, which is light brown in colour and may become red and engorged after a blood meal.

Vic Gov Bed Bugs

Are small non-flying insects with a flat oval shape about the size of an apple pip. Their flattened body allows them to squeeze into small cracks and crevices and as a result they can be hard to detect and eradicate. They are blood-sucking insects that require blood for nutrition and development.

In Australia there are two species of bed bug:

• Cimex lectularius (the common bed bug)
• Timex hemipterous (the tropical bed bug)

The type will depend on the location of the property affected. Fortunately the two species are similar and the same control strategies can be used for both.

Bed bugs feed mostly at night when the host is asleep. Bites cause small, hard, swollen welts on the skin that may become inflamed and itch severely.

Bed bugs have not been implicated in the transmission of diseases. Their medical significance is usually limited to the irritation from their bites.

Tony's Solution

Bed bugs usually travel in suitcases, bags, backpacks, and they travel well. These need to be controlled before they get out of control. No need to throw out your bedding and linen.

Tony Casey

Science: Dirty linen a culprit for bed bugs

"Basically in this experiment we used a large room, we put bed bugs in an established refuge and we then introduced clothes that were either clean or dirty..."

"What we found was that after a period of time there was twice as many bed bugs found on bags containing dirty clothes compared to those clean clothes."

ABC study of bed bugs

Fabric Pests

The group of insects known as fabric pests include:

• Silverfish
• Clothes Moths
• Carpet Beetles

Silverfish

Although silverfish have a creepy appearance and are occasionally mistaken for venomous centipedes, silverfish are not known to bite humans and do not carry diseases.

In most cases, a silverfish will instantly flee to safety when disturbed, there is a greater chance of you hurting yourself attempting to chase one down than of the silverfish hurting you if you catch it.

This insect is quite fast over short distances and is capable of hiding in cracks and crevices that humans cannot access. They hide during the day and forage at night. When they find a food supply, they try to make their nest as close to it as possible.

Well, that's all well and good but you don't like them anyway right?

They do cause damage to clothing, books, papers, food in pantries and wallpaper. Silverfish leave small holes in materials they bite and may also cause yellow staining.

Should you locate an infestation, contact us right away. Silverfish populations grow swiftly and can be difficult to control. We can develop a strategy to combat the silverfish.

Carpet beetles

Are found in carpets, but also in woollen goods, fur, hair, upholstery and dead animals. They are often found in undisturbed areas, such as below items of heavy furniture or carpet perimeters. Many synthetic and woollen carpets are now treated when manufactured to resist these pests. Adult beetles are even able to survive outdoors feeding primarily on flower nectar.

Clothes Moths

Less common than carpet beetles are clothes moths, although these fabric pests are often found in similar environments. Signs of an infestation include damaged material; cast larval skins, sand like larval droppings and small cocoons similar in colour to the infested fabric.

We can help with the elimination of these pests through proven eradication methods.